Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (HT) recently held a naming ceremony for a 319,000 DWT very large crude carrier (VLCC) built jointly for global commodities trading giant Trafigura and Advantage Tankers. This vessel is the second in the series.
This series of vessels measures 332.9 meters in length, 60 meters in beam, and 30.6 meters in depth, with a deadweight tonnage of 319,000 tonnes. Capable of carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil in a single voyage—enough to meet the oil supply needs of a medium-sized city for several months—these ships play a vital role in ensuring national energy security.
The vessel is equipped with a main engine that meets the strictest international Tier III emission standards; it features an innovative integration of an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system and an open-loop scrubber, capable of reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by over 80% and limiting sulfur oxide emissions to below 0.1%, thereby fully complying with the International Maritime Organization’s new environmental regulations.
The vessel’s cargo area features a double-bottom and double-hull structure, incorporating dedicated slop tanks and ballast tanks; notably, one of the cargo holds can be converted into a storm ballast tank during extreme weather, thereby ensuring efficient, clean transport capabilities while further enhancing safety redundancy for ocean voyages.
In early 2024, HT announced it had secured an order from Trafigura for its first two 319,000 DWT VLCCs, thereby entering the VLCC construction sector; the first vessel of the series, “Hantong 373”, is scheduled for delivery on June 26, 2026.
To date, Trafigura has ordered at least 10 VLCCs from HT, with delivery dates extending as far out as 2030.